Structural hopper car

ABSTRACT

A lightweight structural hopper car unit is provided utilizing a through sill, a bolster cover plate and side sills. Approximately 70% of the longitudinal squeeze loads are carried by the through sill and about 15% by each of the side sills. Thus the thickness of the sides and side sills can be reduced, and diagonal stiffeners utilized in the end structure of prior constructions can be eliminated.

-llited States Patent 1191 1111 3,921,537

Fleshman et al. i 1 Nov. 25, 1975 STRUCTURAL HOPPER CAR 2,094,967 10/1937 Schroeder 105/248 x 3,339,499 91967 Ch 1 t 105 248 [75] Inventors: James Fleshman Krkwoodi 3,458,238 7i1969 moiia tiiaissen 105i248 Edgar Jsephsm Davld 3,470,829 10/1969 Szala 105/248 Stoller, both of Charles, all of 3,490,387 1 1970 Halcomb 105/248 Mo.

[73] Assignee: ACF Industries, Incorporated, New Primary EXaminerM- Henson Wood, Jr.

York, NY. Assistant ExaminerHoward Beltran I A 1 A 9 l Filed: Feb. 1974 ttorney gent 0r Fzrm Henry Cummings 211 App]. NO.I 439,782 [57] ABSTRACT 52 U.S. c1 105/248; 105/417 A Structural pmvded 2 utilizing a through sill, a bolster cover plate and side [51] 7,00 B61D 17/08 sills. Approximately 70% of the longitudinal squeeze loads are carried by the through sill and about 15% by [58] Field of Search figs each of the side sills. Thus the thickness of the sides and side sills can be reduced, and diagonal stiffeners utilized in the end structure of prior constructions can [56] References Cited be eliminated.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,030 12/1900 King 105/248 12 Claims 14 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 1 of3 lull I II

rllxpl Sheet 2 of 3 Patent Nov. 25

'1 STRUCTURAL HOPPER CAR BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE ally works into the car body.

There is an AAR requirement that a railway hopper car not exceed 263,000 pounds loaded. Many railroads and shippers are anxious to have a car in which they can load 100 tons of lading and at the same time not be concerned about the weight of specialty items which they order with the car, such as multi-wear wheels, center fillers, side frames, and truck bolsters.

The weight of the hopper car according to the above mentioned patents for high capacity design may vary by as much as 1000 pounds or more but usually turns out to be between 63,000 and 64,000 pounds.

It therefore would be desirable to reduce the weight of the car to 60,000 and even lower, so that the customer may load a 100 ton load and at the same time order the specialty items of the car which he wishes, regardless of weight.

Another object of the present invention is to maintain the curved side design which is a part of the construction according to the above patents. The curved sides are effective in resisting buckling loads and also facilitate unloading.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The curved sided hopper cars disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 3,339,499 and 3,490,387 are modified to reduce weight in the following manner. A through sill is substituted for the stub sill design in the foregoing patents. The through sill takes approximately 70% of the longitudinal squeeze load. Instead of using shear plates to distribute the squeeze load from the striker to the side sills. The upper bolster cover plate is utilized which results in a considerable weight saving. By utilizing the through sill designwith only about 15% of the longitudinal loads being carried by the sides and side sills, the thickness of the side sheet can be significantly reduced, for example, from 3/16 to /32 inch, resulting in a savings of at least a thousand pounds. The use of the bolster cover plate to transmit the loads to the side sills instead of the shear plate results in a weight saving of more than 2,000 pounds. Furthermore, the side sills themselves can be of reduced weight because since they are each only carrying around of the load, they can be less rugged. Furthermore, the end diagonal stiffeners outboard of the upper bolster web found in the above patents can be eliminated since less load has to be transmitted to the car sides and because the vertical turning moments are substantially reduced or eliminated with the through sill design. Other minor adjustments may be made in the end structure to provide reinforcement where desired.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the load distribution in hopper cars produced according to the teachings of US. Pat. Nos. 3,339,499 and 3,490,387;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a railway hopper car according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view along the lines 33 in FIG. 2 further illustrating the load distribution in the hopper car according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the car shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is an end view of an open top embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view along the lines 55 in FIG. 2; FIG. 5A is a view along the lines 5A5A in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a view along the lines 66 of FIG. 2; FIG. 7 is a view along the lines 77 in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a view along the lines 88 in FIGS. 5 and 5A.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the end portion of an alternative center sill which may be used in the hopper car of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the end portion of the center sill shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view along the lines 11l1 in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 11A is a detailed view of an alternative center sill transition section which may be used in the hopper car of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The railway hopper car of the present invention is indicated in the drawings generally at 10. In general, the car of the present invention comprises side" sills 11, curved sides 12, top chords 14 and a curved roof 16 generally along the lines of US. Pat. Nos. 3,339,499 and 3,490,387, each of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. If desired, the roof 16 may be eliminated as shown in FIG. 4A to provide an open top hopper car. However, the hopper car of the present invention differs over the constructions shown in the said patents in that a throughcenter sill 20 is provided instead of thestub sills of the said patents. A plurality of hoppers 22, 24 and 26 are provided in the car along the lines described in the above identified patents. Obviously more or less of such hoppers could be provided, if desired. However, each of the hoppers is provided with an appropriate outlet illustrated at 28, 30 and 32. The car is supported on appropriate trucks 34 and 36, each having appropriate wheels 38.

The through sill 20 may be in the form of a channelsection 42. However, as shown in FIG. 5A, the flanges 44 of the Z-section are preferably removed in the hopper area to facilitate unloading. Reinforcing structure indicated generally at 46 is provided in the hopper area inside the sill. Such reinforcing structure may comprise a flange 48 as shown in FIG. 5A solid or an angle as shown at 50 dotted.

Over the center sill in each hopper compartment a hood 52 is provided. Hoods 52 are preferably welded to the center sill and to the hopper slope sheets.

Alternatively an enclosed tube quadrilateral or tear drop shaped having an upper apex of from about 30 to 60 may be used for the through sill as described more fully in application Ser. No. 439,781 filed on even date herewith assigned to the same assignee as this application (Attorney Docket No. 372). Preferably the center sill is a parallelogram, and most preferably is a square or diamond. In FIGS. 9 l1 herein center sill 130 is in the form of an enclosed square tube 132, which is rotated from 30 to 60 with respect to the horizontal.

In one embodiment the enclosed square tube thus comprises an upper apex 133 extending into the hopper which acts to shed lading and allow it to move smoothly and easily around the center sill during loading and unloading. Space in the hopper is saved which previously would be lost due to the hood. The square tube also comprises a lower apex 135 which tends to avoid a void space which a flat section below the upper apex would tend to cause. Thus little hopper space is lost due to the through sill design.

At the ends of the car a conventional channel-section type center sill 136 is utilized having the usual horizontally extending flanges 138 (FIG. 10). Mounted within the center sill 136 is a conventional center filler and draft gear housing indicated in the drawings at 140. The center filler is of conventional construction and may be either fabricated or cast. However, the inboard portion of the center filler 140 is provided with a transition section 142. Section 142 may, for example, be cast integral with the member 140 or may be welded thereon. Square tube 132 preferably is dimensioned so as to fit over the inboard end portion 144 of transition section 142. Preferably transition section 142 is provided with a collar 146 to facilitate joining of transition section 142 and tube 132. The tube 132 is then welded to transition section 142 as indicated at 148.

An alternative transition arrangement is also disclosed in said Ser. No. 439,781 and is shown herein in FIG. llAhErid center sill 136 may have the flanges [138, transitional back and a plate 150 welded thereon. 'Then, square tube 132 is welded to plate 150. Thus, in

the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A, plate 150 becomes the equivalent of transition member 142 in the A embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-10.

In still another alternative disclosed in said Ser. No. 439,781, the entire center sill may comprise an enclosed tube. At the end portions of the tube, the bottom portion is removed and the draft gear and couplers are mounted therein. Then the bottom portions are appropriately fastened back in place with appropriate fasteners or welding.

Referring to the end structure of the hopper car of the present invention, an end sill 60 is welded to the center sill 2 0 and vertically extending corner posts 62 and 64 are provided which support the end hopper slope sheets 66 and 68. Side sill extensions 71 are also welded to the end sill. Gussets 73 and 75 are welded between the side sill extensions 71 and the end sill.

welded to theupper and lower bolster cover plates and side bearing stiffeners 86 to provide a unified bolster cover plate as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, in the event of stress on the end sill which may result, for example, from car pushers or pullers, reinforcement for the end sill and corner post is provided.

As can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 3, with the through center sill according to the construction of the present invention carrying 70% of the longitudinal load and only around 15% being carried by the respective sides of the car, the sides of the car can be significantly reduced. For example, the thickness of the sides can be reduced. For example, a thickness reduction of from 3/16 inch to 5/32 inch may be made. Similarly, the side sill may be less rugged. For instance, construction of 3 X 6 X 5/16 inches has been found to be satisfactory in comparison to the side sills of the stub sill cars having approximate dimensions of 19 X 9 1/2 X 11/32 inches. Furthermore, a significant weight re duction is achieved by the elimination of the diagonal stiffeners utilized in the US. Pat. Nos. 3,339,499 and 3,490,387 referred to above. Also, the use of the upper bolster cover plate instead of the heavy shear plate to transmit the load to the side sills results in a saving of more than about 2,000 pounds. Hoods 52 provided in the hopper compartment area provide for easy flow of lading around the center sill, and inner flanges or angles provide center sill reinforcement in the hopper area.

It will thus be apparent that the advantages of. the curved sides which are found in the teachings of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,339,499 and 3,490,3 87 are utilized in accordance with the construction of the present invention, while at the same time a weight saving is achieved sufficient to enable a customer to load a ton lading load without requiring weight reduction in the specialty items and still be certain that the AAR weight requirement of a maximum of 263,000 pounds is maintained.

Finally, the smooth, curved side design reduces the induced drag, thereby reducing motive horsepower and reducing diesel fuel quantities necessary to transport the cars. In this period of reduction of the availability of fuel, this is an important factor.

What is claimed is:

1. A lightweight open top hopper car comprising: 0pposed, thin, load bearing, curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car; an end sill welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car, bolster cover plates inwardly from said end sills integrally connecting said center sill to said side sills, said side sills having extensions at opposite ends of the car; said end sills integrally connected to said side sill extensions, reinforcing members extending respectively between said end sills and bolster cover plates, and vertically extending comer posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical supporting end structure, said center sill, bolster cover plates, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.

2. A lightweight railway hopper car comprising: op-

posed, thin, load bearing, curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a curved roof integrally connected between said top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car including end hoppers at opposite ends of the car, end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car, bolster cover plates welded to said center sill inwardly from said end sills and welded to said side sills at opposite sides of the car; said side sills having extensions at each end of the car; said end sills welded respectively to said side sill extensions at each end of the car; reinforcing members extending respectively between said end sills and said bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts at each end of the car integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end supporting end structure, said center sill, bolster cover plate, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plate and into said side sills and load bearing curved sides.

3. A lightweight railway hopper car comprising: opposed, thin, load bearing curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a curved roof integrally connected between said top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers including end hoppers at opposite ends of said car; said center sill having a hood thereabove in the regions wherein said center sill passes through said hoppers, said center sill further having center sill reinforcing means within the center sill in said regions; end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car; upper bolster cover plates respectively welded to said center sill and welded to said side sills inwardly from said end sills at opposite sides of the car; lower bolster cover plates below said upper bolster cover plates welded to said center sill; side bearing supports welded respectively to said upper cover plates and said lower cover plates, and vertical bolster webs welded respectively to said upper cover plates and lower cover plates; said side sills having side sill extensions on opposite sides thereof; gussets welded respectively between said end wills and said side sill extensions; reinforcing members extending respectively between said gussets and said upper bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end supporting structure; said center sill, bolster plates, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plates and into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.

4. A railway car according to claim 3 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.

5. A railway car according to claim 3 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle.

6. A railway hopper car according to claim 3 wherein said center sill is in the form of a channel-section.

7. A railway car according to claim 6 wherein the reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.

8. A railway car according to claim 6 wherein the reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle.

9. A lightweight open top railway hopper car comprising:

opposed, thin, load bearing curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car; said center sill having a hood thereabove in the regions wherein said center sill passes through said hopper, said center sill further having center sill reinforcing means within the center sill in said hopper regions; end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car; upper bolster cover plates welded in said center sill inwardly from said end sills, and welded to said side sills at opposite sides of the car; lower bolster cover plates below said upper bolster cover plates welded to said center sill, side bearing supports respectively welded to said upper cover plates and said lower cover plates; vertical bolster webs respectively welded to said upper cover plates and lower cover plates; said side sills having side sill extensions respectively welded to said end sills; gussets respectively welded between said end sills and said side sill extensions; reinforcing members respectively extending between said gussets and said upper bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end support structure; said center sill, bolster cover plate, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plates and into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.

10. A railway hopper car according to claim 9 wherein said center sill is in the form of a channelsection.

ll. A railway car according to claim 10 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.

12. A railway car according to claim 10 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle. 

1. A lightweight open top hopper car comprising: opposed, thin, load bearing, curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car; an end sill welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car, bolster cover plates inwardly from said end sills integrally connecting said center sill to said side sills, said side sills having extensions at opposite ends of the car; said end sills integrally connected to said side sill extensions, reinforcing members extending respectively between said end sills and bolster cover plates, and vertically extending corner posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical supporting end structure, said center sill, bolster cover plates, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.
 2. A lightweight railway hopper car comprising: opposed, thin, load bearing, curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a curved roof integrally connected between said top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car including end hoppers at opposite ends of the car, end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car, bolster cover plates welded to said center sill inwardly from said end sills and welded to said side sills at opposite sides of the car; said side sills having extensions at each end of the car; said end sills welded respectively to said side sill extensions at each end of the car; reinforcing members extending respectively between said end sills and said bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts at each end of the car integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end supporting end structure, said center sill, bolster cover plate, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plate and into said side sills and load bearing curved sides.
 3. A lightweight railway hopper Car comprising: opposed, thin, load bearing curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a curved roof integrally connected between said top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers including end hoppers at opposite ends of said car; said center sill having a hood thereabove in the regions wherein said center sill passes through said hoppers, said center sill further having center sill reinforcing means within the center sill in said regions; end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car; upper bolster cover plates respectively welded to said center sill and welded to said side sills inwardly from said end sills at opposite sides of the car; lower bolster cover plates below said upper bolster cover plates welded to said center sill; side bearing supports welded respectively to said upper cover plates and said lower cover plates, and vertical bolster webs welded respectively to said upper cover plates and lower cover plates; said side sills having side sill extensions on opposite sides thereof; gussets welded respectively between said end wills and said side sill extensions; reinforcing members extending respectively between said gussets and said upper bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end supporting structure; said center sill, bolster plates, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unit, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plates and into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.
 4. A railway car according to claim 3 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.
 5. A railway car according to claim 3 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle.
 6. A railway hopper car according to claim 3 wherein said center sill is in the form of a channel-section.
 7. A railway car according to claim 6 wherein the reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.
 8. A railway car according to claim 6 wherein the reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle.
 9. A lightweight open top railway hopper car comprising: opposed, thin, load bearing curved sides welded to lightweight side sills and top chords; a through center sill passing through a plurality of hoppers in said car; said center sill having a hood thereabove in the regions wherein said center sill passes through said hopper, said center sill further having center sill reinforcing means within the center sill in said hopper regions; end sills welded to said center sill at opposite ends of the car; upper bolster cover plates welded in said center sill inwardly from said end sills, and welded to said side sills at opposite sides of the car; lower bolster cover plates below said upper bolster cover plates welded to said center sill, side bearing supports respectively welded to said upper cover plates and said lower cover plates; vertical bolster webs respectively welded to said upper cover plates and lower cover plates; said side sills having side sill extensions respectively welded to said end sills; gussets respectively welded between said end sills and said side sill extensions; reinforcing members respectively extending between said gussets and said upper bolster cover plates for reinforcing said end sills; and vertically extending corner posts integrally affixed to said end sills supporting said end hoppers constituting the sole vertical end support structure; said center sill, bolster cover plate, side sills, end sills, curved sides and top chords constituting a structural unit, the longitudinal loads being distributed throughout said structural unIt, such that a substantial portion of the longitudinal loads will be taken through said center sill and a minor percent will be taken through said bolster cover plates and into said side sills and into said load bearing curved sides.
 10. A railway hopper car according to claim 9 wherein said center sill is in the form of a channel-section.
 11. A railway car according to claim 10 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within the center sill comprises a flange.
 12. A railway car according to claim 10 wherein the center sill reinforcing means within said center sill comprises an angle. 